Roberta METSOLA, EP President and Olaf SCHOLZ, German Federal Chancellor hold a press point in the European Parliament, in Strasbourg. This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

statement

Strasbourg

press point

METSOLA, Roberta (EPP, MT, EP President)

EU - Germany (T)

SCHOLZ, Olaf (DE)

president's agenda

This is Europe Debate (T)

Press point by Roberta METSOLA, EP President and by Olaf SCHOLZ, German Federal Chancellor

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, Good morning. I'm very pleased to welcome Chancellor Schulz to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on this symbolic day. Today, This is Europe debate is also our celebration of Europe Day, and I find it particularly fitting that it is the German federal chancellor who will be addressing the House of Democracy here in Strasbourg.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, Europe Day is a day to celebrate European peace and unity, a day to reflect on our achievements, but also our shortcomings. A moment to look at the bigger picture. The reality is that the union is not perfect, but it works. It has delivered because we get more when we are together and our union has stood up to the test of times. And my firm conviction is that Europe is worth it.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, But with war returning on our continent and our democracies and our freedoms increasingly under threat, we cannot be complacent in defending our values. We need to stand up for our way of life every day. The world is changing and we must change with it. And as the Chancellor has rightly said, we need daring solutions. We cannot be afraid of change.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, So on this Europe Day, my pledge is to recapture the sense of hope and possibility that the European Union offers. That's what we look forward to in our forthcoming discussions with you, dear Chancellor in the Hemicycle. In a few moments, the floor is yours.

SOUNDBITE (German), Olaf SCHOLZ, German Federal Chancellor, Dear Madam President, first of all, let me thank you very much for your kind invitation and the warm welcome. It's an honour to have the opportunity to speak in the European Parliament, especially on Europe Day on this day marking the anniversary of the historic Schuman Declaration in 1950.

SOUNDBITE (German), Olaf SCHOLZ, German Federal Chancellor, We celebrate the unity of Europe and we demonstrate that we stand united. This day is a reminder of importance to work together for a peaceful and prosperous future of all Europeans. Our peaceful past stands in clear contrast to the sabre rattling parade that we see in Moscow today.

SOUNDBITE (German), Olaf SCHOLZ, German Federal Chancellor, The president and I had fruitful exchange on the current situation. These are challenging times. While returned to Europe, the Russian aggression against Ukraine is also an attack on the values and principles that gave guided that have guided us since founding the European Union.

SOUNDBITE (German), Olaf SCHOLZ, German Federal Chancellor, The respect of human rights, of international law, freedom and democracy, and the right of self-determination. Together, we will defend these principles together. We will support Ukraine as long as it is necessary.

SOUNDBITE (German), Olaf SCHOLZ, German Federal Chancellor, At the same time, we are confronted with other challenging developments, such as climate change or increasing migration. To deal with these challenges, we also need to deepen our relations with other regions of the world, especially with Asia and Africa, from where I just returned.

SOUNDBITE (German), Olaf SCHOLZ, German Federal Chancellor, We need to work with them jointly as partners and we need to become more geopolitical. European Union. In that context, we also discussed the necessity of institutional reforms to make us fit for the future.

SOUNDBITE (German), Olaf SCHOLZ, German Federal Chancellor, We need to be ready for the future enlargement of the European Union, which is a geostrategic importance for us. The European Parliament is a partner in this endeavour. Madam President, thank you again for the invitation. I am looking forward to discuss with the Members of Parliament on the future of Europe. Thank you.

Q&A, Questions regarding the EU Commision new santion package against Russia and if the reform of the asylum package could be approbed before the EU elections.

SOUNDBITE (German), Olaf SCHOLZ, German Federal Chancellor, Thank you for your question. I think we are already on track always to discuss further improvements of the sanctions regimes and the next would be not the last. So this is a constant work we have to report on of and we are still working.

SOUNDBITE (German), Olaf SCHOLZ, German Federal Chancellor, At the meeting with the federal states tomorrow, this is very important, because in Germany we are a federal state in which the federal state and local governments work closely together. We have many tasks that are of great importance for the overall capacity of government to act, for which the countries implementing them are responsible.

SOUNDBITE (German), Olaf SCHOLZ, German Federal Chancellor, And that is why it is important that we agree on many relevant issues. This applies in particular to the necessary digitalization of our immigration procedures. This means that we reach agreement on the question of how we can ensure that we have enough places for deportation detention, how we can ensure that all authorities are always available so that we can also act efficiently and not due to the lack of availability of individual authorities.

SOUNDBITE (German), Olaf SCHOLZ, German Federal Chancellor, We must ensure that we prepare all the conditions we need so that we can further speed up asylum procedures even with legislative measures. It is then not just a question of sufficient administrative judge posts. It is also about us contributing to a fast and efficient asylum procedure through legislative changes.

SOUNDBITE (German), Olaf SCHOLZ, German Federal Chancellor, Since the mass immigration caused by refugee migration in 2015, we have succeeded in significantly speeding up the decision-making processes of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees regarding the recognition of asylum seekers. That will continue to be a task. But the fact that some asylum procedures take several years in the first instance is something that certainly doesn't help things work well.

SOUNDBITE (German), Olaf SCHOLZ, German Federal Chancellor, Then, of course, we will also discuss European asylum and migration policy in detail. I am very grateful that the European Parliament has now paved the way for the discussion of reforms on the common asylum policy. That is necessary and I therefore sincerely hope that the President will certainly say something right away that we will be able to achieve this even during this legislative period of the European Parliament.

SOUNDBITE (German), Olaf SCHOLZ, German Federal Chancellor, Of course, this also includes effective border protection at Europe's external borders, which is necessary. But this also includes dealing with refugees who appear at the borders together. I am therefore also very much in favour of joint procedures at the borders. And that is indeed part of this European reform.

SOUNDBITE (German), Olaf SCHOLZ, German Federal Chancellor, What I also find important is that we find a way to establish migration partnerships with countries of origin, and transit countries. Germany wants and can make a very good contribution in this regard, including by making very specific agreements within a framework mediated by Europe. After all, we are a country that also wants to limit irregular migration by finding efficient measures to bring even refugees who cannot stay with us back to their places of origin.

SOUNDBITE (German), Olaf SCHOLZ, German Federal Chancellor, But where we also have a great interest in regular migration for the requirements of our labour markets, there are several million at stake as far as  the current decade is concerned. And that is, of course, the basis for good communication that can be found in this area. We would also very much like to work on this efficiently.

SOUNDBITE (German), Olaf SCHOLZ, German Federal Chancellor, And of course, in this context, it is always about the question of how we handle the tasks. It is good that we have decided, for example, that we will provide all Ukrainian refugees without their own asylum procedure with the benefits of our citizen money for basic security in Germany.

SOUNDBITE (German), Olaf SCHOLZ, German Federal Chancellor, The federal government thus bears 90% of the costs, including 75% of the accommodation costs for these refugees. We have always done this for all those who are recognized as asylum seekers there too, the federal government is responsible for 90% of the costs, 75% of the accommodation costs.

SOUNDBITE (German), Olaf SCHOLZ, German Federal Chancellor, We have thus provided funds for integration measures involving language learning and other things, and also made lump sum transfers to the countries, which can pass them on to the municipalities in order to provide funding.

SOUNDBITE (German), Olaf SCHOLZ, German Federal Chancellor, We will certainly talk about what may still be necessary and possible in the year 23, for example. But that is, of course, the basis of what is at stake. Hard, concrete facts that must guide us for the very specific activities of our administration and authorities and integration management. It is a major joint task in a successful federal state. And that is the spirit from which our debates should be based.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, Thank you. I'll take the last sentence that the Chancellor gave, and I'll continue from that. What is our vision and how can we make sure it works? Migration policy has always been one of the toughest discussions that we've had in this Parliament, one that relies on different legislative decisions, but one that without it, our citizens will ask us what we've done for five years. 

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, In 2019, we were given a mandate in order to make sure that we have a system that is fair with who is in need of protection, that is firm with who is not, that we have security at the external borders, that we have a solid solidarity framework, that our asylum procedures are clear, that are applied in a uniform manner in all member States, that the instinct is not to close borders, but rather to make sure that we have procedures that work.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, And also to make sure that we are very strong with those who prey on the most vulnerable, the most vulnerable people on the planet who are seeking a life in Europe. We have seen that solidarity can work, as we saw with the with the triggering of the Temporary Protection Directive for the Ukrainian refugees.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, We have seen that we can reach this agreement, such as on Eurodac, which is a fingerprinting piece of legislation. Two weeks ago in this Parliament, we managed to vote on the biggest part of the Common European Asylum System package. Now it is up to us as co-legislators to work through with the Council to come together on the big asylum file, on the screening procedures, and on asylum and crisis management procedures.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, If we have the political will, we can do it. Ten months are not very long left and we are looking towards an end of the mandate to where time is running out. The Parliament is ready to come around the table to find solutions. If we don't find solutions, we cannot go to our citizens and ask them to continue to look to Europe for a solution.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, ]And that means that all member states have to come together with the different realities, different situations and difficulties as the Chancellor mentioned. But we have managed over the past five years to seek unity where we otherwise used to think was impossible. On this. I am sure we can find it. Thank you.